Page 5 - Crossroads: September 2015 | Issue 9

I also notice that the working environ- ment has changed, possibly in part because of technological advances. Many colleagues work on weekends, and communications with Tokyo are more intense, with more evening teleconfer- ences. I want to ensure that we strive for a realistic work-life balance.
How do you manage work-life balance?
It’s a challenge because I’m still in transi- tion and traveling a lot. I live alone and miss my family. Technology helps, because I can Skype with my wife and children. That gives warmth and color to my weekends. When I’m settled, I want to be more physically active. My wooden Kendo sword arrived, and I practice with it 200 times a night. I’d like to teach Kendo at Keio Academy, the international high school north of New York City. I also need something to stimulate the brain. In Bangkok, I took weekly Thai lessons. Rote memorization is actually refreshing because it uses a different part of the brain than making management deci- sions. Maybe I can take jazz piano les- sons, too — or cooking, which is very creative.
Tell us about your time at Krungsri.
I became involved in 2013 when BTMU began negotiations that led to us becom- ing Krungsri’s majority shareholder and the appointment of Nori Goto as CEO. Krungsri is the fifth-largest bank in Thailand, but its credit card and con- sumer finance businesses rank number one in the market.
To become a corporate as well as con- sumer bank, Krungsri needed to enhance its profile and strengthen its commercial business. That’s why we integrated BTMU’s Bangkok Branch into Krungsri, an unprecedented event in the Thai banking industry — a large local bank and a large
foreign bank joining operations. Trans- forming the business model and integrat- ing our companies were two heavy commissions carried out in parallel. Krungsri has an extensive branch network in Thailand, and our Bangkok Branch has both Thai and Japanese corporate customers, with Thai clients at the core of the business. But clients of the branch had no access to retail accounts, which they opened with other Thai banks. Since the integration, we encourage them to do so with Krungsri and have opened 10,000 new retail accounts as a result. Access to major Japanese corporates has been a significant advantage for Krungsri. So I’m optimistic about their becoming the first-call bank in Thailand.
I was impressed by the teamwork and professionalism at Krungsri and the integrity of its board and staff members. Meetings are carried out in English, the mark of a diverse and truly global board. I was fascinated that Thai colleagues are so busy and work so hard but never forget to enjoy life. They invited me to join events outside of work hours, and I felt I became part of the culture.
How is the partnership with Steve Cummings going?
Given our positions, it is not for us to assess but for customers and other stakeholders to decide. Having said that, I think it’s been very smooth, thanks to support from Masashi. Steve and I met prior to starting our new roles, but what I feel great about is that we share the same disciplines and business philosophy. We have the same approach. I’m very com- fortable with Steve taking the lead on various initiatives, which allows me to take the lead in Canada and Latin Amer- ica. In the first two and half months I visited all the Canadian and Latin Ameri- can offices except Lima, which I’ll visit in October. That was only possible because
Sugu Mike
September 2015
For internal use only
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